


Cuddles keep me safe

by WordsOfHeart



Category: Love Simon (2018), Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda - Becky Albertalli
Genre: Background story, Boyfriends, Cuddles, Family, Father-Son Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Plushies, Stuffed Toys, Teddy Bears, This is just something light and cute, Tigers, simon is shy about having a stuffed animal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-27
Updated: 2018-04-27
Packaged: 2019-04-28 12:03:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14448891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WordsOfHeart/pseuds/WordsOfHeart
Summary: Simon is seven when he has his very first nightmare. His parents buy him an adorable stuffed animal to keep him safe when he goes to bed. He's seventeen now...But his stuffed tiger is still very much needed.Or, Simon spends the night at Bram's for the very first time and is scared to sleep without his stuffed animal.Based on these prompts : Simon cuddling with a stuffed animal and getting caught by Bram ( resulting in a sleepy Simon in Fond Bram's lap ) - Lulisaurus_X & Simon cuddling a stuffed animal? I NEED that in my life tbh -Annie





	Cuddles keep me safe

_Simon is 7 the first time he meets Cuddles_

He is zapping through multiple channels on the television, not realising anything odd when he stops on an incredibly gore horror movie. He watches the screening for a full fifteen minutes before his dad comes barging into the living room, shocked by what he sees on the screen. He runs to the couch, wraps his hands over Simon’s eyes and makes sure that the sound is on mute. Jack promises himself to never let his son alone in front of the television again.

It is no big surprise to Emily and Jack when Simon starts screaming from his bedroom at two in the morning. They both get up from their bed as quickly as possible and make it to their boy’s side. Emily pulls Simon on her lap and Jack holds his little hand. They spend the entire night with him, just in case.

When Simon comes home from school the previous day, there is a huge gift box resting on the kitchen table. There is a name tag attached to it. He giggles and claps his hands when he realises it’s his, giving both his parents massive hugs.

He rips the box apart as soon as his mom sets it on the floor. He discovers a huge stuffed animal tiger, only a few inches smaller than him. He grins widely and jumps around in excitement.

‘‘The tiger is going to protect you from all the monsters. When he’s in your arms, you don’t have to be scared.’’ His dad explains as Simon listens very closely.

He gives his purple tiger a very big hug, holding it protectively against his tiny chest. He kisses it on the nose before shouting out ‘‘I’m going to call him Cuddles.’’

He storms off to his room with his new best friend locked under his arm.

There were no bad dreams that night.

***

_Simon is 14 when he realises he may be getting a little old to be sleeping with a stuffed animal._

He is sitting in the kitchen, looking through his homework when his question first pops up in his mind. He bites his lip as he shoots his dad a look, wondering if he should bring the subject up. He clears his throat nervously before starting the conversation.

‘‘Dad, do you think it’s weird that I still need Cuddles to sleep?’’ Simon asks seriously, truly hopping that his father wouldn’t make a random joke about his concerns.

Jack stops washing the dishes; he drops the sponge against the counter and sits by Simon’s side.

‘‘Why are you suddenly worried of what other people may think?’’ He questions him seriously, pressing a comforting hand on his shoulder. ‘‘I don’t think it’s weird at all.’’

Simon sighs, because he knows sleeping with a stuffed animal is only an addition to his already long list of differences.

‘‘Did you sleep with a teddy bear when you were my age?’’ He asks, blinking with long eyelashes. He lets his chin fall into his palm, elbow resting against the dark wooden table.

His father is silent for a few seconds, thinking about what should be his next reply.

‘‘No, not really. But I struggled with insomnia too when I was your age Si. Trust me, if my parents would have bought me a cute stuffed animal to cuddle, I would probably still be sleeping with it today. There is absolutely no shame about that.’’ He gave his shoulder a small squeeze, winking back at him.

Simon scoffed, furrowing his eyebrows as he dropped his pen, figuring his homework could definitely wait a little longer. ‘‘You had trouble sleeping?’’ He asked, unable to hide the hint of surprise in his tone.

‘‘Yeah, I absolutely did. But I had to take sleeping pills, which was very less convenient than a teddy bear son, trust me.’’ He promised him, patting his head before slowly excusing himself from the table and getting back to getting the dishes done. ‘‘Just...Don’t worry about it alright? It’s not like anyone but your mother, Nora and me know anyway.’’ He insisted, opening the tab and pouring some soap on his sponge, rubbing a porcelain plate.

Simon slowly got up from his own chair, grabbing a dishcloth from one of the kitchen drawers. He waited by his side, wiping the plate once his dad was done washing it.

‘‘I just feel like sometimes, I’m destined to be different.’’ He explains as he starts stacking up some of the freshly clean dishes.

His dad raises an eyebrow as he hands him a clean fork. ‘‘And why is being different bad exactly? You’ve always been unique to our eyes Simon and that’s what makes you so special. We love you, no matter how different you are.’’ His dad smiles at him, looking at the empty sink with satisfaction.

‘‘It’s just...Different can be scary.” Simon finally breathes out, pressing both his palms on the counter as he pushes himself up against it. He sits on the corner of the ceramic, looking at his dad as he does the exact same thing.

‘‘Different shouldn’t be scary Simon, it should be exiting.’’

Simon simply nods as he gets back to his algebra homework.

***

_Simon is 17 when he tries sleeping without Cuddles for the very first time._

The idea first comes to him when his boyfriend of two months, Bram Greenfeld, this extremely hot and wonderful athlete at his school, asks him if he wants to come sleep over at his house for the weekend.

At first, Simon is hesitant about the proposition, because he knows it includes having to give up on Cuddles and risk having petrifying nightmares. But deep down, he wants to know how it feels to sleep with a boy instead of with a plush tiger.

After weeks of convincing, he finally accepts the invitation.

He fills his school bag with a few necessities. He starts with a few changes of clothes, his toothbrush and toothpaste, as well as his phone charger. He closes his almost empty bag, slips his shoes on and heads to the exit. He turns back one last time to shoot a look at his bed, heart breaking in two when he glances at Cuddles, sitting all alone on the top of it. He swallows the lump forming in his throat and tries to ignore the heaviness in his stomach. It feels like he is about to be sick and he knows exactly why. The idea of sleeping without his teddy bear terrifies him.

He mentally swears at himself in frustration when he walks back into his room, only to shove his stuffed tiger in his bag. He sighs as he closes the zipper, knowing he needs to have him close, just in case things get scary once the sun goes down.

He makes it to Bram’s house in a record time, throwing his luggage in a corner and completely forgetting it for the rest of the night. He and Bram do exactly what normal couples would do. They play a few board games while eating some caramel popcorn, watch a movie while cuddling on the couch and have multiple hot and intense make out sessions.

Simon even almost forgets that they need to sleep before Bram starts yawning. The boy drops his head on his shoulder and slowly rubs him up and down his thigh.

‘‘I think we should maybe head off to bed if we don’t want to look like walking zombies tomorrow.’’ Bram suggests as he plays with Simon’s fingers, delicately kissing his knuckles.  

Simon wishes he can debate, but he knows that Bram is right. They need to get some rest, even though he can feel his anxiety bubble up in his chest at the thought of it.

‘‘Come on then sweet face, let’s get the bed ready.’’ The boy smiles at him widely, wrapping his fingers around his wrist and slowly pulling him up from the couch. He drags him up the steps of his rather large home, walking down the very long corridor that leaded to his room. He opens the door and presses a gentle kiss to Simon’s cheek before adding a second pillow on his bed, followed by an extra blanket.

Bram slips out of his clothes and jumps on the top of his mattress in only his boxers. Simon is pretty sure he wants to cry, because his boyfriend looks so unbelievably pretty.

He thinks about how big and mysterious the home looks as he wiggles out of his own clothing, slipping a shirt out of his bag while making sure to keep Cuddles hidden deep down under all his extra clothes. He walks to bed, laying his head on the pillow as Bram pulls the blankets on both their bodies. The athlete does not hesitate a second before closing the lights of his nightstand, leaving them in a pitch black room.

Simon immediately presses his body closer to Bram’s. He shuts his eyes tightly and tries to forget about all the things that could harm him during his sleep. He doesn’t even realise he’s shaking before Bram mentions it.

‘‘Is something wrong Si?’’ He asks as he gently starts rubbing circles against his back. ‘‘Do you want me to leave a light open or something like that?’’ Bram continues, feeling by Simon’s body language that he is uncomfortable.

Simon exhales in relief at the question, nodding against his boyfriends chest even though he knows how absolutely ridiculous he’s being.

‘‘Hey...That’s totally fine sweet. Don’t worry about it.’’ Bram admits without a single hint of judgement in his voice. He gently turns to his side and switches the light open at its weakest intensity. ‘‘Is that better?’’

Simon nods again, even though he knows the light won’t change much. He pushes his nose deep into Bram’s neck, fingers digging into his shoulder blades. Bram’s fingers find their way to Simon’s hair, gently playing with strands of the light brown mess, massaging his scalp at the same time.

‘‘You know that you can tell me absolutely anything Simon right?’’ Bram whispers into his ear, still under the impression that Simon might be trying to hide something important from him.

Simon feels like he wants to cry again. This time though, it isn’t because Bram looks sexy, but because he really wants to run to his bag, grab Cuddles and tuck him tightly against his chest.

‘‘It’s something really stupid.’’ Simon finally confesses, pushing away from a few millimetres, only to be able to stare into Bram’s beautiful eyes.

‘‘Nothing’s stupid when it comes to you. Just tell me. I promise I will try my best to help you, no matter what it is.’’ Bram promises, letting his forehead press gently against the one of the boy he loves.  

‘‘It’s...not that much of a big deal it’s just...When I was a kid, I had these bad dreams all the time...And my parents bought me this cute plush tiger that really helped me sleep. And I guess I just...Kind of slept with him ever since.’’ Simon explains, unable to keep himself from blushing a dark shade of pink. He is absolutely convinced that Bram is seconds away from bursting into fits of laughter.

But Bram just smiles before speaking.

‘‘And where is that tiger now? Is there any way we can get him for you?’’

Simon feels even more stupid then, wanting to crawl underneath the bed and hide there forever.

‘‘He might...be in my bag.’’

Bram slowly sits up this time before getting out of bed. He walks to Simon’s school bag and opens it curiously. He finds the tiger in seconds, taking it out. He smiles as he holds it up into the air, watching Simon shyly nod. Bram goes back to Simon’s side, pressing the stuffed animal against his boyfriend’s chest.

‘‘Does he have a name?’’ He asks sweetly, simply wanting to make Simon comfortable.

‘‘Cuddles.’’ Simon speaks out as he wraps both his arms protectively around the tiger. He clutches at it as if he had been scared of losing his best friend.

‘‘Well, tell Cuddles he’s always welcome in my bed.’’ Bram smiles at him, pressing a gentle kiss to the top of Simon’s head. He wraps his arms around the boy’s waist, pulling him closer to his side. He rests his back against the wall, watching his boyfriend as he lays his head onto his lap.

Simon wraps both his arms against Cuddles and pulls his knees to his chest. Bram covers both their bodies with the warm blankets and shuts the light once more.

‘‘Goodnight my love.’’ Bram whispers as he gently brushes his thumb against the cheek of the boy sleeping in his lap.

Simon exhales in response, he is snoring softly already, chest going up and down in calm motions.  

_Now, he no longer only has Cuddles to keep him safe._

**Author's Note:**

> Hi beautiful people,   
> first of all, thank you soooo much for being so kind to me.   
> The comments & Kudos you guys leave on the things I write make me so happy I can't even put it into words. Simon and Bram really stole my heart. 
> 
> I know it's late (like midnight...and I'm working tomorow at eight...oh my.) but I absolutely wanted to get another prompt up. I know they aren't in order, because I try doing things that inspire me most in the current moment. But as I said, I will try to get through all the prompts in a reasonable delay. Thank you for being so patient and so supportive.   
> I love you guysss! Let me know what you thought about this one.   
> Kudos and Comments make my day, what can I say. 
> 
> Beaucoup d'amour,   
> Sabrina Xx


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